Minhwa commonly refers to a genre of Korean folk art from the late Chosŏn era (17th–19th C.). Based on Shamanic, Buddhist, or Confucian themes, Minhwa, as a popular form, conveys freshness and vitality in a relaxed ambiance, in contrast with the more scholarly and stern Muninhwa-style favored by the yangban, or aristocratic, class. The use of vibrant primary colors and exaggerated painting styles were indicative of the taste of the… Read More

Traditional Korean quilt technique requires keen attention to detail, patience, and dedication. With the arrival of the modern sewing machine, traditional quilting largely disappeared, yet master Kim Haeja remains steadfastly committed to the traditional ways of her craft. Designated Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 107 by the Korean government, Haeja Kim shares life’s lessons learned in the crafting of her quilts and textiles. Thursday, March 24, 2011 6:30PM Gallery Talk… Read More

Richard Pegg, Asian art curator of Chicago’s MacLean Collection, examines Korean maps in a variety of formats, the challenges faced by cartographers, and the formation of multiple identities in Korea during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The MacLean Collection, housed in a private museum outside Chicago, focuses on the cultures of Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Asia Week 2011 Gallery TalkMapping Identity: Antiquarian Korean Maps of… Read More

In conjunction with the gallery exhibition 10,000 Threads, acclaimed author Spike Gillespie explores the diversity and common threads of quilting in Korea, its neighbors, and lands beyond. Gillespie takes the listener on a global journey of the art, approaches, and techniques of quilt making. Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Asia Week 2011 Gallery Talk10,000 Threads Around the World with Spike GillespieAuthor, Quilts Around the World: The Story of Quilting from Alabama… Read More

Learn traditional Korean hatmaking from Chung Young-Yang, a master embroiderer and renowned textile scholar whose embroidery graces the presidential palaces of Korea, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution. Participants in this four-session workshop will learn to make a chobawi, a traditional Korean women’s hat with ear flaps of silk and fur. The class size limited, so register early. Every Monday, November 8-29 3PM-5PM Read More

Join us as Theresa Ki-ja Kim, professor emeritus of theater arts at SUNY Stony Brook, discusses how Korea's unique tradition of masked dance-dramas masterfully blended fertility rite, social satire, and popular entertainment. Held in conjunction with the exhibition, Masks of Night: Faces from Traditional Korean Dance-Dramas, Kim's gallery talk will introduce the masked dance-drama, a form of performance that included songs, dances, and dialogues that aimed to satirize the local… Read More

On May 5, 2009, Don Baker, Associate Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, spoke about the history of Christianity and religion in Korea with Fred Carriere, The Korea Society's Executive Vice President. The interview is in support of 'Missionary Photography in Korea: Encountering the West through Christianity,' an exhibition previously on display at The Korea Society Gallery. The arrival of the first Western… Read More

Join us for a panel discussion on the art and history of Korean wrapping cloths, or pojagi, with Lee Talbot, assistant curator of The Textile Museum; Chunghie Lee, fiber artist; and Seta K. Wehbé, assistant collection manager of the Antonio Ratti Textile Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Linking pojagi aesthetics to both traditional American quilts and contemporary abstract painting, the panelists will discuss the enduring appeal of pojagi… Read More

Gallery Talkwith   Jane PortalMatsutaro Shoriki Chair of the Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Thursday, December 4, 2008 We might think that we know about North Korea - it has been so much in the news recently, presenting a nuclear threat to the region. But in fact we know very little about the country. In the 19th century, the undivided country was called the hermit… Read More

On February 7, 2008, Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park, an assistant professor in the Department of Film, Television and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame, delivered at lecture at The Korea Society entitled "Our Toys, Our Selves: Robot Taekwon V and South Korean Identity." The lecture was in support of "Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood," an exhibition of toys from 1970s and 1980s Korea, showing at The Korea Society… Read More